ebonymovies Chapter 52 Rotten Sweetness and Maggot Therapy
Chapter 52 Rotten Sweetness and Maggot Therapy
The fog in Changxiang City hadn't dissipated yet, but white smoke was already rising from the breakfast stalls on the old street.
The roller shutter door of Renxin Pharmacy was half-closed. Guan Shan squatted at the door, holding a stainless steel basin in his hands, which contained four extra servings of hot dry noodles with chili oil.
He ate silently, the only sound being the rhythmic movement of his Adam's apple, like stones being poured into a deep well.
Behind the counter, Su Qing was holding a pair of tweezers, picking up a piece of gift box wrapping paper left by Sun Botong last night, and gently sniffing it.
"Are you sure?" Wang Minyu twirled the tea mug in his hand. The mutated mint leaves inside unfurled in the hot water, emitting a coolness that could blow the top of your head.
"No mistake." Su Qing put down the tweezers and threw the fragments into a sealed bag. "Muscone has a peculiar smell of rotting protein. I've smelled something similar in the morgue. It's the smell of osteonecrosis caused by long-term injections of substandard growth hormones, or the smell of skin ulcers caused by excessive heavy metals that are masked by fragrance."
She paused, her eyes as cold as a scalpel: "That old man smelled like that too. Although he used very expensive cologne, it couldn't mask the 'sweet, fishy smell' emanating from his pores."
Wang Minyu opened the system panel.
The data collected from Sun Botong last night is still in the cache.
[Target: Sun Botong. Abnormal condition: Chronic mercury poisoning (mild), caused by long-term exposure to unrefined mineral drugs.]
"Huichuntang, Zhao Dezhu, Kangmei Pharmaceutical." Wang Minyu took a sip of tea, his expression calm. "This isn't healing the sick and saving lives; it's alchemy and immortality cultivation."
Li Siyuan and Zhao Na emerged from the back room with dark circles under their eyes.
Last night, the two of them read "Analysis of Human Skeletal Muscle Mechanics" all night long, treating it like a novel. Now, everyone looks to them like they're looking at anatomical diagrams.
"Good morning, Master." Li Siyuan yawned and handed over a newspaper. "Zhao Dezhu has made a move. This morning's Changxiang Daily front page reported that Kangmei Pharmaceutical launched 'Imperial Jade Complexion Cream,' claiming to have restored Empress Dowager Cixi's secret formula, focusing on removing blemishes and anti-wrinkle effects, and selling for 3,800 yuan a bottle."
Wang Minyu glanced at the meticulously edited product image in the newspaper. The bottle gleamed gold, and next to it was a photo of Sun Botong stroking his beard and smiling, with the title "Chief Formula Consultant".
"Jade Complexion Cream?" Wang Minyu scoffed. "If it doesn't contain hormones and heavy metals, I'll eat this teacup."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the wind chimes by the door rang.
The woman who entered was even more covered up than Shen Jia.
Large sunglasses, a mask, and even a scarf around her neck.
If it weren't for that limited-edition Chanel suit and the Hermès bag he was carrying, he would have been mistaken for someone who had just robbed a bank.
"Excuse me... is Dr. Wang, whom Steven recommended, here?" The woman's voice trembled, clearly choked with sobs.
Wang Minyu looked up: "Register."
The woman didn't move, but instead trembled as she took off her sunglasses and mask.
Guan Shan, who was eating noodles, suddenly jerked his hand and almost knocked the washbasin to the ground.
Zhao Na gasped and covered her mouth.
How would you describe that face?
Her once delicate features were now covered with red, swollen lumps.
Especially on the cheeks and chin, the skin had an eerie grayish-purple color, and in some places it had broken open, oozing yellow pus.
Even more frightening is that, under that thick layer of foundation, you can vaguely see the skin and flesh moving slightly.
A strong perfume scent mixed with that "sweet, fishy smell" instantly filled the entire pharmacy.
"The smell of Sun Botong," Su Qing said softly.
Wang Minyu activated the [Aura Observation Technique].
In my field of vision, the woman's facial meridians looked like a charred net, with black toxins accumulating under the skin, and deep in the dermis, countless tiny black dots were active.
[Patient: Lin Meijuan, 42 years old, socialite.]
[Symptoms: Severe steroid-dependent dermatitis, heavy metal deposition necrosis, facial soft tissue infection.]
[Cause: Long-term use of "royal secret formula" skincare products containing mercury, lead, and potent hormones, resulting in a rebound effect upon discontinuation.]
"Help me..." Lin Meijuan gripped the edge of the counter, her fingernails scraping against the glass with a harsh sound. "I've been to the Second Hospital. Dean Zhao said I need to have the necrotic tissue removed and a skin graft done... I can't be disfigured. My son's engagement party is next month, and I have to meet his in-laws..."
"What skincare products do you use?" Wang Minyu asked knowingly.
"It's... the 'Jade Complexion Cream' that Huichuntang has a special internal supply for." Lin Meijuan cried until her makeup was ruined, pus mixed with foundation dripping down like a melted wax figure. "I used it for three years, and my skin was always very good, white and tender. I finished it the day before yesterday, and the new stock hadn't arrived yet, and my face started to itch, and then this happened..."
"That's your face taking drugs." Wang Minyu took a pack of cotton swabs from the drawer. "Long-term use of topical hormones has already ruined your skin barrier. Once you stop taking the medication, your blood vessels dilate, and inflammation breaks out. Add to that the mercury and lead in it, and your subcutaneous tissue has already started to 'rot'."
"What should we do? Can we take Chinese medicine to regulate it?" Lin Meijuan looked at him hopefully.
"Taking medicine too slowly, the poison has already entered the meridians." Wang Minyu stood up, walked to the medicine cabinet, but instead of taking out the herbs, he opened a small refrigerator at the bottom.
He took out a clear glass bottle containing half a bottle of saline solution and dozens of tiny, translucent white maggots, about the size of a grain of rice.
"What is this?" Lin Meijuan's eyes widened.
"Green bottle fly larvae, commonly known as maggots," Wang Minyu placed the bottle on the counter. "These are medical-grade larvae that have undergone sterile cultivation. They only feed on necrotic flesh and bacteria, not healthy tissue. At the same time, their secretions can kill bacteria and promote granulation tissue growth."
"Ugh..." Li Siyuan couldn't help but gag.
Lin Meijuan was so frightened that she took three steps back, her foundation falling off her face in a flurry: "You...you're going to put this on my face? Are you crazy? I'm a person, not a corpse!"
"In medicine, necrotic tissue is part of the corpse," Su Qing added coldly. "Do you want to leave this rotten flesh to continue spreading, festering through your cheek, or do you want it to clean it up for you? The debridement surgery at the Second Hospital will leave a large scar, but this won't."
"Won't leave a scar?" Lin Meijuan grasped the key point, which was her last lifeline.
"Probably not." Wang Minyu shook the bottle. "This is biological debridement, much more precise than a scalpel. However, the process is a bit stimulating. You can feel them burrowing in and out of your skin and flesh, and that 'rustling' sound will go directly into your ears through bone conduction."
On the system panel, Lin Meijuan's [Fear Value] instantly soared to 999.
"I'll treat it! I'll treat it!" Lin Meijuan gritted her teeth. For the sake of her reputation, she would even eat feces, let alone maggots.
Ten minutes later, in the sterile room in the back hall.
Lin Meijuan lay on the treatment bed with her hands restrained by straps—to prevent her from scratching her face because she couldn't bear it.
Wang Minyu used saline solution to clean the pus and foundation off her face, revealing a shockingly festering sore.
Then, he used tweezers to pick up the wriggling little white worms and placed them one by one, precisely in the deepest part of the ulcer.
The maggots, upon contact with the rotting flesh, immediately burrowed inside with excitement.
"Ah..." Lin Meijuan let out a suppressed groan, her whole body tense.
"Don't move." Su Qing pressed her head down. "If you want to become beautiful, then you have to endure it."
Li Siyuan and Zhao Na stood to the side, their faces pale, but they forced themselves to keep their eyes wide open and watch. This was a "maggot-eating therapy" that was only found in textbooks, being broadcast live.
"Record it," Wang Minyu said as he performed the procedure. "The allantoin secreted by the larvae can liquefy necrotic tissue. Pay attention to the changes in blood supply at the wound edges. This ancient treatment is a trump card for treating difficult-to-heal wounds in today's world of antibiotic resistance."
Time passed second by second.
Lin Meijuan went from screaming and trembling at the beginning to becoming numb, and finally to a strange calm.
She discovered that with that chilling wriggling sensation, the burning, throbbing pain had disappeared.
Two hours later.
The larvae ate their fill and swelled several times in size, becoming the size of a soybean.
Wang Minyu used tweezers to pick them out one by one and threw them into the waste bin.
The wound, which was originally grayish-purple, is now a fresh, bright red, which is healthy granulation tissue.
"Siyuan, apply the medicine." Wang Minyu took off his gloves.
This time, what I used was none other than the gelatin made from the roots of that herb, which was mixed with pearl powder and Bletilla striata.
When the mirror was handed to Lin Meijuan, she touched her face in disbelief.
Although it was still red and swollen, the putrid stench was gone, and the skin no longer felt like hard, dead flesh.
"A miracle doctor... he really is a miracle doctor..." Lin Meijuan was so excited she wanted to cry, but she didn't dare to make a big expression.
"Don't get too excited," Wang Minyu poured cold water on the idea. "This is just wound cleaning. For it to heal completely, it needs detoxification. Also, do you still have the empty bottle of 'Jade Complexion Ointment'?"
"Yes, at home."
"Let Steven go get it." A glint of shrewdness flashed in Wang Minyu's eyes. "That's a valuable item, and it's also the 'handle' that Sun Botong gave us."
After seeing off Lin Meijuan, who was full of gratitude and left a check for 50,000 yuan, Wang Minyu looked at the surge in his emotional value in the system backend and a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"Sun Botong, since you like to play dirty tricks, then I'll show you what real 'poison' is."